Underwater swimming pool lights are generally set into niches in the sides or bottom of swimming pools. As these pools age, lighting fixtures mounted in these niches often fail. The mountings electrolyze and the niches deteriorate. This deterioration makes mounting of a replacement fixture in the same niche difficult and the replacement fixtures often wobble or are difficult to aim properly. The present invention provides an adaptable means for securing a replacement lighting fixture in a mounting niche which has deteriorated through age and wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,283, issued to Tilsner discloses wedge device particularly suitable for use in mounting a swimming pool light in a niche formed in a wall of the pool has a wedge member and a drive member for use in driving the wedge member between the side of the light and the wall of the niche. The drive member is pivotally mounted on the wedge member for limited slidable freedom of motion laterally as well as rotatable motion by means of a pair of trunnions which extend therefrom and fit into cylindrical sleeve bearings formed in the wedge member. A screw member threadably engages the drive member and is inserted through an aperture in the mounting ring for the light. When the screw is tightened against the mounting ring, it draws the wedge member against a side of the light and the wall of niche thereby wedging the light in place. The drive member can be rotated ninety degrees on its trunnions to change the size of the wedge provided by the wedge member thus enabling its use under different installation requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,776, issued to Burkitt, et al. is directed to a niche assembly for a pool having outer wall, flange and boss formed on the flange. The boss is configured to inset in small hole of pool wall when the niche is fully inserted into large hole. At least one handle is formed on backup ring that screws on to the niche to mount the niche to the pool wall. The inset boss prevents rotation of the niche. The niche further includes plurality of ribs formed on the outer wall. The backup ring further includes a tab projecting towards the ribs. The tab and the ribs cooperate to impede unscrewing the backup ring off the niche. A seal ring and a gasket seal a vinyl liner to the flange. The seal ring has a sloping outer edge and the flange has a beveled outer edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,978, issued to Gargle illustrates an underwater lighting fixture mounted in an aperture formed in the wall of a spa or other reservoir of water. An open-ended outer housing is disposed in a receiving aperture in the wall, and is secured thereto by a watertight coupling, the opening in the housing being directed to the interior of the enclosure. A light bulb and the electrical connections are mounted within the housing, the interior cavity of the housing being cylindrical and having screw threads disposed about the inner circumference of the housing. The lens of the lighting fixture is integral with an inner cylindrical housing having screw threads disposed about the outer circumference thereof and being adapted to engage the receiving screw threads disposed on the interior surface of the outer housing. The inner housing is rotatably secured by engaging the screw threads thereby forming a watertight seal therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No 5,213,410, issued to Acks discloses an underwater illumination apparatus for use in nuclear facilities. It has a high pressure sodium arc lamp sealed to a stainless steel base with a flexible, radiation-resistant seal to provide a watertight and shock-absorbing connection. A wet-mateable base connector is attached to the base to permit connection to a lower cable. A light-transmissive, impact-resistant cover is formed around the base and the arc lamp. The cover has holes through which water can flow in and out to conduct heat away from the arc lamp. The combination of the above elements creates a modular unit which is replaced as a whole when the arc lamp burns out. The lower cable which provides power to the arc lamp is attached at its other end to a ballast power supply which is hermetically sealed in a stainless steel housing. Wet mateable connectors are attached at the inlet and outlet of the ballast power supply to attach to the lower cable and to the upper cable connection to a 120 VAC source. A number of units may be assembled with a single reflector to create a light ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,430, issued to Robbins is directed to a waterproof coupling for use in conjunction with illumination systems for swimming pools, spas, and the like. It employs a light conduit placed within the waterproof fitting. The waterproof fitting is installed in a wall of a water-retaining structure, remote from said light conduit illumination system wherein said waterproof fitting includes a hollow screw having a transparent head which acts as a lens, a face plate having a threaded central aperture through which said hollow screw is inserted, an elongated male coupling have a gripping surface, a flange member disposed in front of the gripping surface, integrally molded threads on the exterior surface of the elongated male coupling, and a central aperture through the elongated male coupling, through which said hollow screw and said face plate assembly are inserted, a gasket disposed between the flange of said elongated male coupling and said face plate, at least one lock nut threaded onto said hollow screw to draw the transparent head against said face plate, a nut threaded onto said integrally molded threads of said elongated male coupling to compress said gasket into sealing engagement between said face plate and said elongated male coupling, and a plurality of fasteners attaching said face plate to the gripping surface of said elongated male coupling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,366, issued to Wade discloses a structure for providing a light in the side of a swimming pool beneath the water. The structure primarily is constructed from sheet metal and includes a bulb shield and receptacle, a front lens, a front mounting ring and a sealing ring. The sealing ring forces portions of the shield and the mounting ring into sealing arrangement with a ring seal mounted about the lens. The seal and the adjacent sealing structure allow steam which may be generated by heat from the enclosed bulb to escape into the water but prevent the water from entering the structure. The structure can be used in traditional concrete or Gunite pools and with an additional component, it can be installed in vinyl lined pools.
U.S. patent application No. 2006/0072323, issued to Poggi describes a pool light assembly configured to be a single unit of a lamp permanently sealed into its niche, such that upon the need for repair, the entire unit would be replaced
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a means to replace broken or damaged lighting fixtures in swimming pools and spas. It is a further objective to provide an adjustable repair bracket that can fit pool niches of varying sizes and configurations. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide such a repair bracket that will work with plastic niches requiring a separate grounding strap. It is yet a further objective to provide a repair bracket that is easily installed with common hand tools. Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a repair bracket that is durable and easily manufactured.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.